There is one emotion running stronger than heartbreak among the Rebel Nation after Ole Miss missed a Sweet 16 run by one throw: being wronged.
Ole Miss was in a prime position to pull a win entering the fourth quarter, leading the Gophers by eight.
But just 41 seconds into the final quarter, Cotie McMahon picked up her fourth foul and left the floor. She came back in with 5:44 to play, but just over a minute later, she was called for a charge and fouled out with 4:22 on the clock and her team up by five.
The effect of McMahon's absence was instant as the Rebels' momentum crashed, and Amaya Battle's shot handed the Gophers a 2-point win over Ole Miss as the clock ran out.
Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Cotie McMahon's foul
When asked about it, Coach Yo took the diplomatic way out and gave the officiating crew a much longer leash than any Ole Miss fan would have wanted.
"I got to see how to answer that without getting in any trouble," she said post-loss. "I've just never seen them fouled out in a March Madness game. I just haven't. Paige, Caitlin. I mean, I don't want to call the current ones because then someone will say I'm tampering or something like that. I just haven't seen the best players get fouled out."
While the entire Rebel Nation was ready to storm the court, Coach Yo was uncharacteristically quiet in calling out the crew, even though she clearly stated that the call was "incorrect."
"From my point of view, the last call was incorrect. We watched it 1,500 times."
"And it's disappointing. These fans deserved more than that. The game deserves more than that, and I just think officiating as a whole really needs to be looked at. I really do. I'm not just talking about this game. Something has to be done. It has to be better."
Had Coach Yo lit into the officiating with the same fire the fans are feeling, it would have sent a message. Instead, there’s a massive disconnect between her seeming calm and the unbridled outrage currently taking over Oxford.
Horrible officiating calls like these have cost Ole Miss a ton this season, both men's and women's. Given it cost them a Sweet 16 run, Ole Miss isn't letting it go anytime soon.